4 Reasons Humanity Fails to Achieve its Goals

This post is heavily based on the Dump Little Man post 4 Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals.

Are we the type of species that makes big plans but just never finishes the plan? Do we make resolutions during one generation that are dropped like a failed Hail Mary pass by the next? Perhaps, as a species, you can't stay on track. Every species contains a goal seeking mechanism, yet we do not achieve our goals. The following list are things that will not only prevent space habitation, but will prevent other multi-generation goals and macro-engineering projects.

1. Limited Beliefs

Look, if a species thinks it will go extinct, it will. If its religious text predict an armageddon, people will feel helpless to stop an armageddon event. They will feel as if they are doomed to die as a species. There are some who see humanity as a disease that should be eliminated, how can such a species aspire to greatness? There is a major belief that we have reached the end of out species' technological and social development, how can such beliefs inspire greatness and self improvement? Humanity has unlimited potential, but if we start to doubt that potential we will never be great, we will never be spacefaring and we won't produce a new generation of humans who have hope for a better tomorrow.

2. Picking the Wrong Goal

This reason should not be used as an easy to quit a goal of a species. But, we, as a species, can aspire to the wrong objectives. Wrong goals for a species would include:

• Any goal that splits apart this species and any goal that kills off vast numbers of members of the species. (e.g. wars and genocides).
• Any goal that was developed in an echo chamber; any goal that is an attempt to homogenize humanity.
• Any goal that is focused on proving one group's superiority as opposed to improving the species. (e.g. going to space to prove your nation is better, not to improve humanity)

Not, if we want to pick the right goal, we need to have a species wide dialog and talk about all the things we value as a species and our dreams as a species. We need to keep talking until an idea; a goal is produce that resonates with every human soul. We need to keep talking until we have a goal "that just stands out, something that just feels right" (Dumb Little Man).

3. You Lack Consistency / Patience

So far, humanity has been doing well in space after stumbling at the end of Apollo. We have been making consistent investments in our space programs. But, I fear humanity will get bored with space again and cut all its funding. I fear education programs in place today that will benefit a spacefaring species will get slashed. Space will be vary frustrating, but we must keep at it. We can not start a pattern of short bursts in space activity because bursts will demotivate not only the public, but the hard-cord space cadets too.

4. There is No Multi-generational Plan

Transitioning an idea or a movement between generations could weaken it. I'm young, I do not understand the feelings humanity had during the first moon landings. I have not experienced the struggles that opened up the space field. I was born after the first moments of the space age. This might be a problem. Without this experience, I value the Apollo program less; I only read about Apollo, I can NEVER experience the emotions it carried. The leaders of the space movement know what space means because they all worked their butts off to get a space program up an running, but they are all old. I did not experience all the pain that the older generation went through to set up a space program. Because if this, I will never understand space as well as my seniors. This is why we need a multi-generational plan. We need something that conveys why the generation before mine struggled so much and worked so much to open up space. I need a document that conveys the feelings that Apollo generated in humanity. I need to know what the generation before me wanted to do with space; I don't know that yet. Yes, there are documents that conveys this message, but they are scattered and they are really history lessons, not a mission plan that I can follow. What my generation needs is the next step. In any goal this species takes on, the next step must be CLEARLY conveyed to the next generation.

Reactions

-Is there any other reasons humanity can fail one of its goals?

-Do we need a multi-generational plan?

-Can bursts in space activity work?

-Can we still be great if we believe we are worthless?

Resources

Photo by fireflythegreat

In Case You Skimmed

The following reasons prevents any species wide goals from being achieved:

• Being an unconfident species
• Picking the wrong goal as a species
• Not working consistently towards that goal
• Not having a multi-generational plan

Dear Space Community, Welcome to the Dip

Last updated: July 8th, 2009

I was wandering about my local library when I stumbled across Seth Godin's The Dip. I love Seth Godin's blog, so I had to read this book. There is only one word to describe The Dip : enlightening. As I was reading it, questions started to flood my mind. Is the space program mediocre? Can anything on the cutting edge be mediocre? Should we give up on a mediocre space program? What would you define as a mediocre space program? What would you define as a exceptional space program? Was Apollo only beginner's luck; something bound to happen because is was humanity's first trip to the moon? Is this the worst period of the space age? Is the space movement suffering from a temporary setback that we will overcome if we keep pushing?

This post is my attempt to answer these question. Also, my head will roll because of this post. I want to create a discussion and the space community needs to hear this.

Apollo was beginner's luck. The public was stunned by entering the space age, it was new, it was fresh and it generated support because of this. Fear accelerated and fueled Apollo. During the time of Apollo, you where nearly a traitor if you didn't support NASA.The public fully supported space because of those reasons.

Apollo existed in a time where the motivations for space where different. Times have changed.

CNN has a segment called The Cafferty File where views give their comments on questions Jack Cafferty asks. The best comments are then read on air. On July 6, 2009, Mr. Cafferty asked "In light of the ballooning National Debt, what priority should the U.S. space program have?". The pro-space comments where very good and concise, all far better then my comment. But, the anti-space comments where interesting. Check them out here. Those comments can be summed up with the following statement: "the space program is a waste of money". The space program seems to be the scapegoat for the recession. What once inspired is now hated. That's not the end to the public opinion hole we have dug ourselves into. The National Space Society says, in regards to barriers to space habitation,

The general public is rapidly losing interest in space development: (1) because the pace of space development is frustratingly slow, especially when compared to incredibly fast pace of the home computer revolution; (2) because NASA is forced by taxpayer watchdogs to portray human space activities in the most boring manner; (3) because the real and exaggerated perceived risks of outer space frightens them; and (4) because little activity, planning, and public discussion occurs regarding private trips into space. ~NSS

“The dip is the long stretch between beginner's luck and real accomplishment” (Godin 18). Welcome to the dip, the time will be between Apollo and the next moon landings will be painful. Apollo was humanity's beginner's luck in space, welcome to the real space experience, humanity. Welcome to a frontier the demands a sustainable reason to explore. We can't even go to the moon based on fear, nationalism and new experiences. Commercial space will be a real accomplishment. An international effort in space will be a real accomplishment.

Trenches of Public Opinion

We might be breaking a few laws of physics because of how deep this hole is. But, I think Seth Godin's book gives us the reason behind this. “It's called Zipf's law, and it applies to resumes and college application rates and best-selling records and everything in between. Winners win big because the marketplace loves a winner” (Godin 7). Space habitation is in second place in terms of public support for a vision of the future. First place goes to human extinction. I need to do a study to prove this claim, but, from what I over heard in the halls of my classroom, more students are worrying about, thinking about and imagining the world ending on December 12, 2012 then students considering a future where space is settled. The 2012 "movement" is taking what should be our supporters.

But, in a way, the 2012 "movement" is the best vision of the future. "The consumer get[s] to decide [the best vision of the future], not [us]" (Godin 11). This is a problem because "now there are a million micromarkets, but each micromarket still has a best" vision of the future (Godin 11). The space movement is a micromarket, a market that is well saturated. There are a ton of micromarkets that we haven't touched. For example, I need to run a another study to prove my point, but, I think people are more likely to support the 2012 "movement" then the space movement because the bible portrays human extinction; there is no mention of space habitation in the bible. This is regardless of religion. NASA can not give out press releases and hope convince the public. We, the grunts of the space movement, have to go into as many micromarkets as possible and convince each one. We must become the best vision of space for each group of people on this planet. NASA can not convince our friends, we must convince our friends because we can only craft a message the appeals to the values held by each micromarket.

Reinventing a Movement

So many in the space movement are telling the public that we can not quit on space. But, “the opposite of quitting isn't waiting around. No, the opposite of quitting is rededication. The opposite of quitting is an invigorated new strategy designed to break the problem apart” (Godin 51). What I'm suggesting is scraping most, if not all of our strategy, and reinventing it without the influence of Apollo because Apollo was a fluke. In other words, the mindset that brought us to the moon will not bring us to the moon again.

Reactions

So, I stuck my neck out by posting this. I'm struggling with those questions I posted at the beginning. Was Apollo really a fluke? Can we get past the decline in public opinion? Should we reinvent the movement? Feel free to flame me.

Sources

Godin, Seth. The Dip. New York, Penguin Group, 2007.

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Wisdom in Space Habitation

While doing research for my education philosophy paper (my final paper for high school, wooot), I came across the TED talk The real crisis? We stopped being wise given by Barry Schwartz. I think his words can be applied to any field, any task and every action we take. Incentives and punishments, as Barry Schwartz points out, do not work. I feel they will not work in space. But, this is what makes human space flight special. I feel those who are in the space field have a certain wisdom. It's found outside of this field, yes, and, yes, there are a few dull bulbs in the space flight. But, I feel that the vast majority of the people in space will resonate with Barry Schwartz's words. Not just agree with him, but feel a connection to his argument the runs down to the soul. This philosophy must be buried deep within the space habitation movement because it will guide us on unmade trails and unknown obstacles.

Photo by alicepopkorn

Here's the video if you want to watch it. It's 20 minutes long, so I quoted the best parts for this blog post. But, Barry Schwartz is a great speaker and really makes a convincing argument. Plus, it makes my job easier if you watch it. Your time will not be wasted by watching this video... relative to the other youtube videos that we all know you watch. 

Real-world problems are often ambiguous and ill-defined and the context is always changing. A wise person is like a jazz musician -- using the notes on the page, but dancing around them, inventing combinations that are appropriate for the situation and the people at hand.

The space program has ignored the rules. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project is my primary example. This project occurred, not only during the cold war, but in the same year of the Vietnam war, which was basically a war between the USSR and the USA, but with puppets. If NASA and the Soviet Space Program followed the rules, we would have seen the first war in space. Both sides where trying to stop the spread of the other's ideologies and, if the programs followed the textbook, they should have gone to war, at the very least ignore the other side. But, this was not done. They talked to each other. These two countries who where just at war and had nuclear weapons aimed at each other had their astronauts and cosmonauts shaking hands in space. Americans climbed in to Russian vehicles and visa-versa. This shouldn't have happened. The administrators and engineers of both space programs showed incredible wisdom though this act. If we continue to toss out the rules in space, we will see a multinational team in the first space habitation. Because the rules still say we should be fearful of other nations. I believe, after man achieved the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, that space programs will ignore these social rules - the very rules which will lead to humanity's destruction. 

In Switzerland back about 15 years ago they were trying to decide where to site nuclear waste dumps. There was going to be a national referendum. Some psychologists went around and polled citizens who were very well informed. And they said, "Would you be willing to have a nuclear waste dump in your community?" Astonishingly, 50 percent of the citizens said yes. They knew it was dangerous. They thought it would reduce their property values. But it had to go somewhere and they had responsibilities as citizens. The psychologists asked other people a slightly different question. They said, "If we paid you six weeks' salary every year would you be willing to have a nuclear waste dump in your community?" Two reasons. It's my responsibility and I'm getting paid. Instead of 50 percent saying yes, 25 percent said yes. What happens is that the second this introduction of incentive gets us so that instead of asking, "What is my responsibility?" all we ask is, "What serves my interests?"

It's because of the above quote that I fear the promise of fortunes in space will be the Achilles heel the space habitation movement. In my experience of talking to others about space habitation, claiming that we should have a space habitation because it cool is a much more effective argument then human extinction or profit. Simply put, incentives and punishments will not power the space habitation movement. They will give us creditability, but something will be at the core of our mission. I don't know what it is, the space habitation idea hasn't lived this long because it cool. We need a rallying call, a moral obligation that space habitation fulfills. Again, I'm not sure what it is, but this obligation has keep this dream alive for many year, it will lead to it's fulfillment.

So I want to know, what did you take from this video.